Labour market for receptionists
1
Key findings
97% of surveyed vacancies

High levels of competition, combined with
relatively few employers being open to
employing inexperienced workers make entry
to this occupation difficult for first time job
seekers.

Just 29% of vacancies are open to job seekers
who do not have work experience. Many
employers opt for experienced candidates.

Vacancies are readily filled.

This is the most competitive labour market for
candidates across the six assessed entry level
occupations, with an average of 112
applicants per vacancy.

While only one in five applicants is considered
to be suitable, there are 21 suitable
applicants, on average, for each vacancy.

Overwhelmingly, the most common reason
for applicants being regarded as unsuitable is
inadequate experience.

Employers place significant value on
candidates’ applications. The survey indicates
that those who have a poorly written résumé
or cover letter generally do not progress to
the interview stage (this may be the case even
when applicants have relevant skills and
experience).
were filled
112 applicants per vacancy
21 suitable applicants per
vacancy
Employers seek receptionists
with the following attributes
 Excellent people skills
 Professional appearance
 Customer service skills
 Friendliness
 Communication skills
 Good phone manner
 Teamwork skills
 Attention to detail
 A commitment to being
reliable, punctual and
responsible
ISBN: 978-1-76028-617-0
1
This report forms part of the analysis of results of
the Department of Employment’s research into
entry level labour markets. The main report is at:
www.employment.gov.au/entry-level-labourmarkets.
Labour Market Research and Analysis Branch
Department of Employment
Page 1
Opportunities
 More than one in three employers advertised
positions that did not require experience or
had a requirement for minimal experience (six
months or less).
 Barriers such as having a poor initial
application and poor personal presentation are
reasonably easy to address.
 Few employers require applicants to have
undertaken formal training or certification.
o Receptionist positions, though, had the
highest proportion of employers wanting
candidates with a vocational qualification
(albeit, low at 9%). A relevant vocational
qualification may assist job seekers during
the selection process.
 Anecdotal evidence suggests that applicants
who apply early enhance their prospects. Some
employers recruit the first applicant who
meets their criteria. This is particularly relevant
for this labour market where applicant
competition is extremely strong.
Barriers
 High levels of competition (an average of 112
applicants per vacancy, of whom around 21 are
considered to be suitable).
 Relatively few employers are open to hiring
workers without any experience (29%).
 Candidates face difficulty securing employment
as a receptionist if they do not demonstrate
the following traits
o good communication
o good personal presentation
o excellent people skills.
 Employers indicate that having a poorly written
cover letter (or lack of a cover letter), résumé
or application is also a barrier to progressing
through the selection process.
Survey results
Recruitment outcomes
 Employers generally recruit receptionists
without marked difficulty and competition for
these vacancies is strong.
 Almost all surveyed vacancies were filled
(97%).
 Employers recruiting for receptionists
attracted the highest number of applicants
and suitable applicants across all the surveyed
entry level occupations.
o For receptionist vacancies, there was an
average of 112 applicants, of whom 21
were considered by employers to be
suitable.
 The very small number of unfilled vacancies
all attracted applicants.
 Reflecting the large fields of applicants, nearly
one third of surveyed employers commented
that the successful applicant exceeded their
expectations.
Department of Employment
Results at a glance
% of
vacancies
filled
Receptionist
All other
occupations
Average
no. of
applicants
per
vacancy
97
112
87
36
Average
no. of
suitable
applicants
per
vacancy
21
6
By location
 Almost all positions were filled regardless of
whether the position was located in a
metropolitan or non-metropolitan location,
and regardless of the state or territory.
Page 2
o
Results by state*
Average no. of applicants per vacancy (RHS)
Average no. of suitable applicants per vacancy (RHS)
A small number of employers required
familiarity with specific software
packages (2%).
Level of experience sought (% of employers)
% of vacancies filled (LHS)
100
100% 97%
100%
143
96%
94%
97%
Not
stated,
23%
160
144
75
None
required,
29%
120
103
(%) 50
3 years or
more , 8%
112
94
89
80 (no.)
25
40
25
0
NSW
15
VIC
26
24
QLD
SA
9
WA
21
0
AUS
* Results for Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian
Capital Territory have been excluded due to the small sample size in
these locations.
Results by region
% of
vacancies
filled
Metro
Non-metro
96
98
Average
no. of
applicants
per
vacancy
118
92
Average
no. of
suitable
applicants
per
vacancy
22
19
Between 1
and 3
years,
20%
1 year or
less, 21%
Personal qualities or attributes sought
 Soft skills related to communication or people
skills were particularly important, with many
employers mentioning these traits (including
being friendly and confident).
 Other commonly sought candidate attributes
included
o a high level of personal presentation or
professional appearance
o a good attitude or energetic nature
o strong customer service skills.
Personal qualities or attributes employers
consider necessary (% of employers,
multiple responses allowed)
Experience and skill requirements
 Employers generally sought applicants with
previous work experience with around half
specifically seeking applicants who had
experience as a receptionist.
o Only 29% of receptionist vacancies were
open to candidates without any
experience.
o Experience between receptionist roles is
generally considered to be transferable,
with the exception of medical
receptionists. For these roles, some
employers mentioned that suitable
applicants needed to have prior
experience specifically in this area.
Department of Employment
People skills
44%
Communication skills
25%
Good personal presentation
24%
Other personality traits
20%
Customer service skills
15%
Positive attitude
14%
Teamwork skills
11%
Attention to detail
11%
Reliable, punctual, responsible
10%
0
25
(%)
50
Page 3
Training, tickets and licences
 Employers hiring receptionists do not usually
require candidates to have qualifications,
tickets or licences.
o Just 13% of surveyed employers had
such requirements, and they most
commonly required applicants to
possess vocational qualifications, first
aid certificates (particularly for medical
receptionist positions) or a driver’s
licence.
 While the proportion of employers requiring a
vocational qualification was relatively small
(9%), this was distinctly higher than for any of
the other occupations surveyed (an average
of 1% across the other occupations).
 While almost all employers provided training
for successful receptionist candidates, this
was largely limited to on-the-job training,
inductions or in-house training.
School leavers
 Employers hiring for receptionists were less
likely to consider a school leaver (or a school
age applicant) without the required
experience (39% compared to the average of
45% across all other assessed occupations).
Reasons for unsuitability
 The most common reason for unsuitability
was a lack of experience.
 Due to the large number of applicants,
employers place great significance on the
quality of written applications (including a
cover letter, correctly following ‘how to apply’
instructions, and addressing the selection
criteria).
 Other common considerations when
assessing suitability included
o the applicants’ communication skills
o the location of the job seeker.
 A small number of employers recruiting for
legal receptionist roles commonly considered
recent law graduates and law students to be
unsuitable as they were overqualified.
Department of Employment
 Although a few employers were willing to hire
a recent school leaver or an applicant with
limited or no experience, they generally had
the choice of multiple experienced applicants
and could select the candidate (often with the
most experience) who was the best for their
business.
Key reasons applicants were considered to be
unsuitable (% of employers, multiple responses
allowed)
50
41%
(%) 25
14%
9% 8% 8%
7% 6% 6% 6%
0
Methods of recruitment
 The vast majority of employers advertised
their receptionist vacancies on Internet job
boards. Others recruited through local and
national newspapers or by word-of-mouth.
 Many, though, also use
o other Internet sites
o recruitment agents
o internal advertisements
o networking and referrals
o business’ website.
 Given the variety of methods used, it is
important for job seekers to look for
vacancies across a variety of platforms to
ensure they are maximising their recruitment
potential.
 Employers recruiting for receptionists were
the least likely of the occupations surveyed to
receive unsolicited applications.
Page 4
Status of employment (% of employers)
Recruitment methods (% of employers,
multiple responses allowed)*
6%
16%
9%
Employment status
%
Permanent employee
68
Casual employee
1
Temporary or contract employee
8
Not stated
23
6%
Hours of work (% of employers)
88%
20%
13%
6%
Internet job boards
Business' website
Other Internet sites
Internal advertisement
Newspapers
Recruitment agents
Word-of-mouth
Networking and referrals
*‘Other internet sites’ includes free websites which offer a
range of advertising services.
Approached directly by applicants over the past
year (% of employers)
Not approached
Rarely - Occasionally
Receptionist
35%
All other occupations 14%
0
Continuously - Often
41%
40%
25
15%
75
100
(%)
Employment arrangements
 Few surveyed receptionist positions involved
work on weekends or outside usual business
hours, although most hotel receptionist
vacancies did have this requirement.
 Most employers were seeking to fill
receptionist vacancies on a permanent basis
(68%).
 Almost two thirds of employers advertised
full-time receptionist vacancies (61%), while
the remainder were for part-time (21%) or
variable hours (14%).
Department of Employment
%
Full-time hours
61
Part-time hours
21
Variable hours
14
Not stated
5
Data above are from an audit of vacancies. Totals may not sum to
100% due to rounding.
Analysis of receptionist job
advertisements
In addition to the telephone survey, an audit of
receptionist job advertisements was conducted.
Vacancies for receptionists were gathered over the
period of a month on a single major recruitment
site. A typical receptionist advertisement (based
on composite data) is below.
Receptionist Wanted
36%
50
Weekly working hours
Real estate agent is looking to employ
a well presented, full-time, front desk
receptionist to maintain the excellent
standard of customer service we are
known for. Previous experience in
administration or reception is required.
The successful applicant also needs to
be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel
and Outlook. Enthusiastic and punctual
candidates with a strong attention to
detail, will be highly regarded.
Page 5